A multitude of attachment devices, bracket and support assemblies presently exist.
The attachment device, bracket and/or support assembly of the present invention is/are generally suitable for attaching to a frame, or part thereof, such as bicycle frame, automobile roof rack, push chairs or hand rails. However, this should not be seen as limiting as the present invention may be attached to other objects. For ease if reference only the present invention will now be discussed in relation to frames.
A problem with existing attachment devices/brackets such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,279, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,604,098 occurs due to the body of the attachment device/bracket coming into direct contact with the frame, as this can lead to unintended damage, such as paint or surface finish damage, occurring to the framework. This damage typically arises in situations where the attachment device/bracket gets knocked or is otherwise twisted about, or slid along, the frame when the attachment device/bracket encounters a force of sufficient magnitude. The force required to effect damage need normally only be greater than that of the frictional force by which the attachment device/bracket grips the frame.
It would therefore be an advantage if there could be provided an attachment device/bracket which can overcome or at least mitigate the above disadvantages.
In particular, it would be useful if there could be provided an attachment device/bracket which is capable of being subjected to a greater force before moving with respect to the frame.
It would also be of particular advantage if there could be provided an attachment device/bracket which does not have a portion of body of the attachment device/bracket in contact with the frame.
A further drawback of many existing attachment devices/brackets such as disclosed in DE4304239, U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,555 and those previously mentioned, is that their construction limits the maximum size and/or weight of items that the attachment device/bracket is capable of supporting on the frame due to the loading placed on the attachment device/bracket. Heavy items also run the risk of facilitating damage occurring to the frame.
It would be an advantage if there could be an attachment device/bracket which could support a greater load than existing brackets. It would be especially useful if the attachment device/bracket could support larger loads and:                have a reduced tendency to twist or slide when the attachment device/bracket is subjected to an additional force such as a knock; and/or        reduce the resultant load exerted by the attachment device/bracket at the point of attachment.        
In a similar vein support assemblies used to help secure items to frames, such as bicycle frames, also suffer from a number of drawbacks.
For ease of reference the frame will now be referred to as a bicycle frame. However, it will be appreciated that this should not be seen as limiting as the bracket and/or support assembly of the present invention may be used with other frames.
One drawback with known support assemblies such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,540, U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,382 and NL1009804C, used for carrying luggage, or other items, is that they are generally only capable of being used on one particular type and/or size of bike. That is the support assemblies tend to be manufactured to a set size and to have specific points of attachment on the bicycle.
Another drawback with known support assemblies is that they tend to have one, or in some cases two, position(s) in which they can be employed on a bicycle.
It would therefore be useful if there could be provided a support assembly which can be more universally fitted to different types and/or sizes of bicycle.
In particular it would be useful if an adjustable support assembly could be provided to cater for the wide range of bicycle frame configurations available.
A further draw back of other known support assemblies such as those disclosed in DE202004007825U, GB462138 and WO0043258 is that they are generally fixed or attached to the bicycle using bolts, clamps and other permanent fasteners, taking some time and difficulty to attach or detach.
It would therefore be useful if there could be provided a support assembly that could be attached and/or detached with ease, using a less permanent fastening system, that would take less time to attach and detach.
It would also be useful if a support assembly could be provided which has sufficient strength and/or versatility to allow the support assembly to be used for more than just carrying luggage or other items.
All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.
It is acknowledged that the term ‘comprise’ may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, the term ‘comprise’ shall have an inclusive meaning—i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements. This rationale will also be used when the term ‘comprised’ or ‘comprising’ is used in relation to one or more steps in a method or process.
It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.